


Stripped

by plantbaby



Series: Consequences [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-07-12 06:35:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7089211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plantbaby/pseuds/plantbaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec grits his teeth as a shiver wracks his body; the cell he is held in is cold and he hasn’t been afforded the luxury of a blanket or anything else that he could bundle up in. /Abandoned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stripped

Alec grits his teeth as a shiver wracks his body; the cell he is held in is cold and he hasn’t been afforded the luxury of a blanket or anything else that he could bundle up in. The Silent City is underground and the air is damp and smells of decay. His stomach rolls again and Alec gags; he knows he won’t be able to throw up, his body is sustained by a nourishment rune only, but he still makes a move to cover his mouth. In his mind, he replays the events that led to where he is now.

He remembers being led outside of the Institute and being portalled to the entrance of the Silent City. He remembers seeing the emissaries that attended his wedding and realizing that this was a trap, that there was no way that this was sanctioned by the Clave if the Inquisitor herself was not there to receive and interrogate him. He remembers being thrown against the damp wall of the cell, face pressed against it, arms held in a tight grip. He remembers struggling as one of the men bunched his t-shirt up. He remembers yelling as he felt the burning of the new mark being drawn against the small of his back.

It feels like it happened _weeks_ ago; he knows it has been a few days at most, but it’s hard to judge the time passing in complete darkness. His mind is sluggish, but by now he has figured out what they carved into his skin – the sleepless rune. His eyes hurt and even closing them doesn’t bring him the relief anymore. He yearns for the bliss of unconsciousness. The sleep deprivation is slowly starting to get to him; he is jumpy and in the dark he keeps glimpsing things that he rationally knows are not there.

He knows what they are doing; he has been taught the same technique himself. If you take away the basics – food and sleep – you become vulnerable, unable to defend yourself, you just want it to stop. _He would do anything to make it stop._ He probably should be dead by now – the only thing keeping him alive in those conditions is the angelic power running through his body.

He winces as he shifts and feels the wound on his torso reopening and soaking the old bandage once again. The iratze that he applied to his skin just after the battle with Valentine has burned off a while ago, unable to heal him with the strain that has been put on his body. He puts his hand on the abrasion, and biting down a yelp, presses, hoping to stem the bleeding. He’s weak already; he doesn’t need blood loss to add onto that. 

When the door of his cell springs open, Alec is huddled in the corner, trying to preserve his body heat. He squints at the people standing in the doorway, the sudden light coming from outside blinding him. He is forcibly pulled to his feet and led out of his cell.

The room he’s shoved into is huge; the stone walls arch in a way that makes one feel small and insignificant. In the middle of that vast space stands one of the Silent Brothers. He’s holding the Mortal Sword and Alec glances apprehensively at the holy object. He knows that if he was healthy, he still wouldn’t be able to lie, but he suspects that he would be able to weasel his way out of the questions like a Seelie would. Now though, the Sword will be able to wrench the truth from him, his body and mind too tired to fight it.

A man, whom he remembers from the wedding, steps up next to the Silent Brother. Alec doesn’t remember his name; he was in such a daze before and during the ceremony that he blanks out now. There’s a smirk on the shadowhunter’s face and Alec glares at him even as his knees threaten to buckle. He must make a pitiful sight – unwashed, exhausted, starved. The man’s smirk morphs into a grin and he waves a piece of paper at Alec.

‘If anyone has any doubt for the legality of this interrogation, here is the signed document granting me the full power governing this case. Sealed by the Inquisitor herself,’ he declares. Alec’s stomach drops, any hope for rescue crushed.

* * *

 

Magnus yawns as he observes Jace pacing back and forth across his living room. He still hasn’t been able to recover his magic reserves; he really overexerted himself during and after the battle. Additionally, he is sick with worry for Alec, so he hasn’t been able to relax and sleep it all off as he usually would. He glances away from Jace as his pacing is starting to make him nauseous, and he looks at Isabelle. She is tucked into Clary’s side; the redhead is running her fingers through Isabelle’s black hair absentmindedly. Magnus raises eyebrow at the sight they make _._ Interesting, he muses.

‘It has been three days and still no word from the Clave. I know we tracked him down to the Silent City, so they weren’t lying about where they are taking him, but...’ Jace stops in the middle of the living room and rubs his eyes. ’I can feel there is something wrong. It’s just... our bond is weak after the tracking and after our separation, but I can still feel him through it. He feels so... subdued.’

Magnus straightens up; he didn’t know that Jace felt something through his bond and he grows concerned at what the boy is describing.

‘How are we sure that it was the Clave that sent for him?’ Isabelle asks suddenly, it must have been weighing on her mind. ‘They never showed us any warrant. Just marched away with Alec in tow.’

‘We could go to the Silent City and...’Jace starts; he is interrupted though.

‘And what? Storm it with three Shadowhunters and one practically powerless warlock?’ Jace frowns at Magnus.

‘Powerless?’

‘The place is running on angelic runes. Entering it, especially forcibly, would weaken me,’ Magnus explains. ‘What about Lydia? She has access to the Inquisitor. We could ask her if she heard anything.’

‘I’ll fire message her,’ Isabelle stands up quickly and Clary follows. Izzy has been restless without anything to do, Magnus thinks, she is a woman of action that one. He fidgets, restless himself, blue sparks igniting at his fingertips. He hums, deep in thought.

‘I still think that the Silent Brothers wouldn’t hold Alec if they weren’t sanctioned to,’ Magnus says. He feels sick with worry, especially after Jace’s revelation, but he tries to remain calm and collected. If he falls apart, the others will follow. ‘They have their own Code.’ Jace nods at him and sighs; Magnus notices that he is rubbing at his parabatai rune absentmindedly. Magnus’ eyes grow softer. ‘Let’s wait and see what Lydia says.’

* * *

 

Alec’s body tips forward as the blade is placed in his hands, the weight of the sword heavy. The guard standing behind him scoffs, and he flushes. He straightens up and looks up at the Clave member defiantly.

‘Let’s keep this short and simple, shall we? State your full name,’ the man begins.

‘Alexander Gideon Lightwood,’ Alec says and even though he didn’t struggle with the question, it still feels like the answer was picked straight from his brain. He bristles, unsettled, and the man in front of him grins gleefully as he begins Alec’s interrogation.

‘Were you in possession of the Mortal Cup before it went missing?’

He replies with an affirmative; he knows that he’s incriminating himself, but there’s no way he could have answered otherwise. Clary gave him the Cup and he hid it and sealed it with his own stele.

‘When was it exactly?’

‘Before Meliorn, the Seelie Knight, was to be interrogated.’

‘Did you notify the Clave of having found the Cup?’ The shadowhunter asks smugly, he looks like he already knows the answer. Predictably, Alec tries to resist, but in the end a quiet ‘no’ is wrenched away from him. ‘Wonderful. So, you concealed it?’ The man clarifies. The sword starts slipping in Alec’s hands, his palms growing sweaty; the angle the man is using to persecute him suddenly crystal clear.  

‘Y-yes.’

‘Were you the only one who knew about it?’ Alec’s head flares up in pain as the negative answer is forced out of him; his instinct to protect Jace and Izzy stronger than his own self-preservation. ‘Who else knew?’

‘Clarissa Fairchild,’ he fires out quickly, hoping that it will be enough. It isn’t. ‘My parabatai and sister,’ tumbles out of his mouth as he doubles over in agony. He feels blood dripping from his nose and his vision grows hazy. He knows he won’t pass out – the sleepless rune will keep him conscious no matter what.

‘So, you concealed the Mortal Cup from your superiors, but let three teenagers know how to get it? Th stole it from you?’

‘I have no knowledge of who exactly stole it,’ he replies and thanks the Angel that Jace never told him how exactly it all went down.

‘Ah. Still, hiding the Mortal Cup from the Clave? That’s high treason, Mr. Lightwood. What about your dalliances with Downworlders? Have you ever entrusted a sensitive matter or information with a Downworlder?’

Alec’s mind flashes back to Magnus and the nights they spent together, their limbs entangled, murmuring  quietly to each other, kissing their words into each other’s mouths and skin. He grits his teeth together, but a firm ‘yes’ still slips out of his mouth.

‘When it wasn’t approved by the Clave?’

‘Yes,’ he confirms and has to witness as the man in front of him gloats.

‘What did you reveal?’

‘The strategy for the battle with Valentine Morgenstern,’ Alec grunts out, teeth clenched. He closes his eyes; he knows he’s done now.

‘Ah, strike two, Mr. Lightwood. Kept on breaking the law, did you? What about your siblings? When acting as the Head of the Institute, did you ever cover for your siblings when they broke the law?’

Alec replies with another affirmative; the blood dripping down his face turns into a steady stream. He starts feeling lightheaded when a booming voice of the Silent Brother interrupts the next question.

‘I think that’s enough. Young Lightwood needs a break. Especially given the sorry state he is in,’ his whole attention focuses on the interrogator and the man shrinks back. ‘The Silent Brothers should not have entrusted you with taking care of his needs, it seems.’

‘That’s quite alright,’ the man says as he composes himself. ’I think we have enough evidence to make a verdict. It’s not surprising really. The Lightwood family has always been shameful.  Alexander Lightwood, you have been found guilty of committing high treason. Strip him off his runes.’

The Mortal Sword clatters to the ground, Alec’s fingers suddenly numb. From the moment the interrogation started, he knew it was coming. Still, he feels like someone ripped the rug from underneath his feet. His wide, unblinking eyes train themselves on the Silent Brother approaching him. He can’t even bring himself to struggle as they drag him away to another chamber.

**Author's Note:**

> I suspect the second chapter should be up sometime in the next two weeks. Feedback is always welcome and you can find my tumblr @cuddlylightwood


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